A caretaker from Ellesmere Port has been nominated for a School Superhero award as part of a national campaign by fintech Miconex to recognise staff working in schools.
Mark Rushan, caretaker at Wolverham Primary and Nursery School was nominated for the award by parent Jennifer McLoed whose children Daisy and Jacob attended the school:
“Mr Rushan is at the gate every morning when we arrive for school and he always has a beaming smile, and is so friendly. Having a chat with Mr Rushan puts you in a good mood for the rest of the day, and we look forward to seeing him.
“Caretakers don’t get the recognition that they deserve. They keep schools running, get called out in the middle of the night to deal with alarms going off, have to deal with things like blocked drains or toilets, they are School Superheroes. You can see that Mr Rushan works hard to keep school running smoothly, but he always has time for a chat.
“The very first time I brought my son to pre-school, Mr Rushan was the first person we met. He said ‘good morning, how are you, have a lovely day’ and that’s one of the first things my son learnt to say. Pretty soon my son was saying to everyone, ‘have a lovely day’. Mr Rushan is a great role model.
“Sometimes in the mornings it can be a rush to get the children there, or I might be trying to get the children out the car, but Mr Rushan is always there for moral support. He’ll hold the gate open, and offer a reassuring word or two; he always knows just the right thing to say.
“Wolverham itself is a lovely school. We’ve moved house now so my children will be moving to another school and we are devastated to leave Wolverham. During the pandemic, the nursery aged children didn’t have video based learning because they learn through play. Instead they offered stories and activities through the Tapestry app.
“All of the staff, from the administration staff to the teachers are really genuine. When you send your child to school, knowing that they’re being looked after by people that genuinely care is a huge thing. I’d love to see Mr Rushan win this award. His enthusiasm is infectious and he deserves to win.”
Families can nominate their school superheroes who have made a positive contribution to their school community. One school superhero will receive a £50 Town and City Gift Card for their choice of over 60 schemes around the UK and Ireland, including the Chester Gift Card, with their school or class receiving a £250 cash prize.
The Chester Gift Card can be spent with over 110 businesses in the city, including shops, cafés, attractions, restaurants, salons and more, and launched in November 2020 as part of Chester Business Improvement District’s (BID) battleplan to support high street shops from the effects of lockdown.
Emily Ghazarian, Marketing and Events manager, Chester BID said: ‘We are so delighted Mr Rushan has been celebrated as a school superhero. There are so many people like him in the communities around Chester who have made schools a wonderful, safe and happy place for so many children and we are so thankful to them. They truly embody the community spirit we see everyday in Chester.
The Chester Gift Card has been a brilliant way for visitors of Chester to support the businesses of Chester during the challenges of the pandemic. It has meant the value of the card could be placed in the hands of the small independents, and also that recipients could use it across the city to enjoy all the wonderful experiences the city has to offer.’
All school superheroes are eligible to be nominated for an award, including teachers, teaching assistants, catering/lunchtime staff, administration teams, caretakers, coaches and volunteers. Families can nominate a school superhero up to 31st August 2021 by visiting https://townandcitygiftcards.com/schoolsuperhero
Colin Munro is the managing director of Miconex and said: “Jennifer’s story shows the power of a simple smile and a few words, and the difference they can make to a person’s day. It also shows how vital every single staff member in a school is and we welcome this chance to celebrate Mr Rushan, a School Superhero quietly going about his job and making school a positive place to be. The winning School Superhero will be announced on the 31st August and we wish Mr Rushan and Wolverham Primary and Nursery School the best of luck.”
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